The effectiveness of a Mindful Yoga and Common Yoga intervention on emotion regulation and well-being of adolescents; A nonrandomized quasi-experimental study.

Abstract

Yoga programs have gained wide attention in school settings to promote adolescent mental health. However, comparative evaluations of distinct yoga-based approaches are limited. This study examined the effectiveness of a Mindful Yoga and Meditation (MYM) program and the Common Yoga Protocol (CYP) in reducing psychological distress and enhancing mindfulness, emotion regulation, and overall well-being among secondary school students in India. The study employed a quasi-experimental design. A total of 147 students were assigned to three groups: MYM, CYP, and waitlist-control. Both interventions were conducted over 21 days, with assessments at baseline (T1), post-intervention (T2), and 3-month follow-up (T3). The outcome measures included psychological distress (K10), mindfulness (CAMM), emotion regulation (ERQ-CA), and well-being (WHO-5). A linear mixed model was employed to examine the main effects of group and time, as well as the group × time interaction, across all outcome measures. Both the MYM and CYP groups showed significant improvements compared to the control group. The MYM participants demonstrated greater and more sustained gains in mindfulness (p < .001), cognitive reappraisal (p = .026), and well-being (p < .001), along with larger reductions in distress (p < .001) and expressive suppression (p < .001). While CYP was effective, its benefits were comparatively smaller and less durable when compared to MYM. No significant changes were observed in the control group. The findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of brief school-based yoga interventions in promoting adolescent mental health. Importantly, integrating mindfulness into yoga practices (as in MYM) yielded superior outcomes, emphasizing the added value of mindful components.